


Inevitability

by VividSunsets



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Resistance (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Missing Scene, tierny is genre-savvy and it weighs on her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:27:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27762973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VividSunsets/pseuds/VividSunsets
Summary: After a harrowing call with Supreme Leader Ren, Tierny realizes her and Pyre's situation has grown dire.
Relationships: Pyre/Tierny (Star Wars)
Kudos: 11





	Inevitability

Tierny tore her eyes away from the glint of the golden gun trained on her, looking into Pyre’s expressionless helmet. Years of FOSB training slipped away as her desperate eyes locked onto his visor, silently screaming that _she didn’t want this_ , that she wished the Supreme Leader would just kill the two of them himself if he wanted to so desperately. 

Her arm strained downward, muscles screaming for her to give in, and ice pierced her stomach as she felt her index finger twitch toward the trigger. Teeth clenched, she braced for the sensation of a blaster bolt burning through her. 

Instead, she nearly collapsed to the ground as Supreme Leader Ren released her and Pyre. With a final look, he turned the comm off, leaving the two of them in the low light of her office.

The sound of their panting echoed through the room, until Pyre broke the silence:

“I suggest we redouble our efforts, immediately,” he said, his voice still ragged.

Of course they should, Tierny thought. But they had redoubled their efforts. Over, and over, and over, and over again, trying his ideas, and hers, a panel of First Order officials’, the occasional suggestion from Galek, General Hux’s desperate ploys; and none of them worked.

Tierny was never an optimist, and she doubted that their luck would change.

Pyre stepped in closer to her, interrupting her train of thought. She narrowed her eyes in curiosity, but didn’t push him away. She looked for a while, watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest and shoulders, but his hands belied his tension, the leather of his gloves squeaking as his fists tightly clenched.

Realizing that she had likely stared too long, Tierny looked back up to Pyre’s face, only to find his gaze locked on her. 

Pyre tore himself away from her, clearing his throat. 

“I apologize, Agent Tierny, we should return to our mission,” he said, only barely revealing a tremor in his voice this time.

She almost let him walk away and let both of their lives play out easily, but the reality of the situation hit her as their warmth faded.

“Pyre,” she implored, grabbing his wrist. “Wait.”

Pyre stopped and turned toward her slowly, head tilted.

“Why?”

Tierny’s eyes flashed away from him out of weakness. She could not put this delicately.

“We’re failing.” 

She felt him tense, realizing she still held his wrist, and reluctantly let go.

“We can still—”

“We may, but the Supreme Leader’s involvement indicates a turning point in our mission.” Tierny lowered her voice, drawing closer to him. “You’ve heard about the Supreme Leader’s behavior lately?”

He hummed a quiet affirmative.

“Pyre, we don’t have time to ignore what’s happening between us.”

The weight of the realization crushed him, and though Tierny had known this for a long time, it was almost sadder to watch Pyre learn anew. Both of them had already come to terms with death as inevitability—a necessity in the First Order—but knowing that it may draw upon them made the notion choke the air. 

Tierny slowly lifted her hands and lightly gripped the bottom of his helmet, running her thumbs where it curved inward. 

Pyre gave a small nod, and he loosely wrapped his arms around her waist. 

She lifted, and Pyre’s breath hitched, and though his vocoder picked it up, she heard it from within the helmet as well.

Tierny looked up and took in the auburn of his beard and the stark contrast of the pink scars against his pale skin. She raised the helmet farther, and finally reached amber eyes, softer than she’d imagined, and finally removed it completely.

Pyre smiled.

“It’s nice to see you without the visor,” he said.

Tierny snorted at the sheer, romantic ridiculousness of it all, but the flutter in her stomach betrayed her cynicism. She moved a hand down to caress his cheek, still holding his helmet with the other. He was warm, and upon tearing her gaze from his lips, she saw a blush creeping across his cheeks. 

The cold reminder of her mortality threatened to creep into the moment, but for once, instead of embracing it, Tierny pushed it away. If her fate ended with punishment by the Supreme Leader, or General Hux, or meeting her end at the hands of the Resistance, she decided to enjoy this.

As Tierny drank him in, she heard the plastoid of their chest plates clink together as Pyre drew her tightly to him and acutely felt the chill of his armor through the thinner fabric of her own uniform. She looked back up at him to find him with heavy-lidded eyes, before closing them and leaning in. Before Tierny could overthink the situation, she met him in the middle, kissing him gently. 

His lips were chapped, and the scruff of his beard brushed against her face, but the overwhelming relief of finally kissing him flooded through her, and even though she knew the galaxy and their fate was at stake, their personal world sang for that moment in time. Pyre moved in eagerly, and she felt the grip of his hands tighten as he kissed her more ardently. 

Never one to lag behind, she moved to match his pace, slipping her tongue into his mouth as he reciprocated in kind. A year of their working together, of arguing, of nights pouring over strategies culminated in this, as she felt herself give into her base instincts more, heard herself making small noises that caused Pyre to smile on her lips.

She broke away and began to tug his collar down to mouth at his neck, eliciting a small groan from him; but as the heat in her body reached a pitch, she broke away and rested her head on his chest, hard and cold as it was. 

Pyre understood, and they embraced in a gentle sway, him resting his head on hers; one hand moving to the small of her back and gripping the exposed fabric, the other travelling subtly lower, as if asking for permission. 

While Tierny’s body clamored for what both of them so clearly wanted, she also wanted to give that particular indulgence the time it deserved, and the few precious minutes they had before preparing to attack the Colossus was insufficient to satisfy either her or Pyre, so instead, she just leaned into him and smelled the subtle notes of him she could catch despite the armor which separated them. 

Though Tierny never wanted to let go, she felt Pyre inhale deeply once and let him break away from her.

As the two met eyes again, it was an earnest, sweet thing, with his the flush on his cheeks spread to his neck and a gentle smile on his face, one she knew her own reflected. Her training screamed at her to stop displaying this vulnerability for him, for whatever wiretap might be listening in the office, but as she knew the inevitability of the day to come, she found she no longer cared. 

Tierny brought Pyre’s helmet between them, and he looked at it with downcast eyes.

His fingers brushed against hers as he slipped the helmet on, and Tierny allowed the weight of the imminent battle back on her shoulders. 

She stepped away from Pyre, breathed a few times to clear her mind, and heard the echoes of her footfalls as she started toward the door. His heavier ones joined her, and though Tierny wasn’t an optimist, she felt more confident with him by her side.


End file.
